Cross-application content player

ABSTRACT

A method for providing a cross-application content player is disclosed. The method includes receiving, during playback of a content item in a first content player within a first user interface of a first mobile application, an indication of a user request pertaining to a second mobile application, wherein the first mobile application is associated with a first platform, and the second mobile application is associated with a second platform. The method further includes identifying a play state of the content item corresponding to the user request, and causing playback of the content item in a second content player within a second user interface of the second mobile application based on the play state.

CROSS-APPLICATION CONTENT PLAYER Related Application

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/853,220, filed on Apr. 20, 2020, which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/838,216,filed on Aug. 27, 2015, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,628,016, each ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for allpurposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to the field of content sharing platform and, inparticular, to a cross-application content player of a content sharingplatform.

BACKGROUND

On the Internet, social networks allow users to connect to and shareinformation with each other. Many social networks include a contentsharing aspect that allows users to upload, view, and share content,such as video content, image content, audio content, and so on. Otherusers of the social network may comment on the shared content, discovernew content, locate updates, share content, and otherwise interact withthe provided content. The shared content may include content fromprofessional content creators, e.g., movie clips, TV clips, and musicvideos, as well as content from amateur content creators, e.g., videoblogging and short original videos.

SUMMARY

The following is a simplified summary of the disclosure in order toprovide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is intendedto neither identify key or critical elements of the disclosure, nordelineate any scope of the particular implementations of the disclosureor any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present some conceptsof the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription that is presented later.

In one implementation, a method for providing a cross-applicationcontent player is disclosed. The method includes receiving, duringplayback of a content item in a first content player within a first userinterface of a first mobile application, an indication of a user requestpertaining to a second mobile application, wherein the first mobileapplication is associated with a first platform, and the second mobileapplication is associated with a second platform. The method furtherincludes identifying a play state of the content item corresponding tothe user request, and causing playback of the content item in a secondcontent player within a second user interface of the second mobileapplication based on the play state.

In one implementation, the method further includes: detecting an inputevent initiating sharing of the content item; and causing the contentitem to be shared in response to detecting the input event.

In one implementation, detecting the input event includes detecting agesture to move the second content player within the second userinterface.

In one implementation, causing the content item to be shared includescausing information related to the content item to be pasted in a textbox in the second user interface.

In one implementation, the user request pertaining to the secondapplication includes a request to share the content item using thesecond application.

In one implementation, the method further includes receiving a firstindication to dismiss a notification interface, wherein the second userinterface comprises the notification interface; and causing, by theprocessing device, playback of audio content associated with the contentitem in response to receiving the first indication.

In one implementation, the method further includes receiving a secondindication to present the notification interface; and causing, by theprocessing device, playback of the audio content and video contentassociated with the content item in response to receiving the secondindication.

In additional implementations, computing devices for performing theoperations of the above-described implementations are also disclosed.Systems with a processing device and a memory including instructionsthat when executed by the processing devices cause the processing deviceto perform operations corresponding to the disclosed methods are alsoprovided. Additionally, in some implementations of the presentdisclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storesinstructions for performing the operations of the above-describedimplementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system architecture, in accordancewith one implementation of the disclosure.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example client deviceproviding a cross-application content player in accordance with oneimplementation of the disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating content player components inaccordance with one implementation of the disclosure.

FIGS. 3-6 are example screenshots illustrating user interfaces forproviding a cross-application content player.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are flow diagrams illustrating methods for providing across-application content player by a client device, according to someimplementations of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing across-application content player by a server device, according to someimplementations of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system,according to some implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects and implementations of the disclosure are directed to contentplayback and sharing across applications such as across mobileapplications associated with different platforms (e.g., a contentsharing platform and a social network platform). Implementations aredescribed for a cross-application content player that can provideplayback of a content item (e.g., a video) on top of user interfaces ofmultiple applications. The cross-application content player can bepersistently visible to a user when the user interacts with theapplications.

As used herein, the term “content item” may refer to an electronic filethat can be executed or loaded using software, firmware or hardwareconfigured to present the content item to an entity. A content item maycontain video content, audio content, text content, images, and/or anyother content.

As referred to herein, an application can be and/or include one or moresoftware programs that can run on a computing device (e.g. a rackmountserver, a router computer, a server computer, a personal computer, amainframe computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktopcomputer, a mobile phone, a wearable computing device, etc.). Anapplication can provide any functionality, such as content sharing,chat, email, messaging, mapping service, social networking service,and/or any other functionality.

Previously, content sharing platforms did not provide a solution forcontent playback across applications. For example, when consuming avideo using an application of a conventional content sharing platform, auser may have to pause the playback of the video in order to share thevideo using a social network application. This can, for example, createa disjointed experience for the user, where the user has to choosebetween finishing watching the video and sharing the video.

Implementations of the disclosure address the above and otherdeficiencies by providing a cross-application content player thatpersists on top of user interfaces of multiple applications, when theuser interacts with the applications. For example, while a user watchesa video played in a user interface of a first application (e.g., a mediaviewer application provided by a content sharing platform) on a mobilephone, the user may initiate an interaction with a second applicationby, for example, selecting a video annotation (e.g., an overlay on thevideo that includes text, graphics, and/or any other content) directedto the second application (e.g., a social network application). Thecross-application content player can continue playback of the video in auser interface of the second application uninterrupted. The user maythen interact with the second application to share the video, chat withother users, etc. without interrupting playback of the video. In oneimplementation, the user may share the video with one or more otherusers by moving the cross-application player within the user interfaceof the second application (e.g., by dragging the cross-applicationplayer towards a text box that provides chat functionality to the userand the other users).

As such, implementations of the disclosure provide a content player thatenables content items (e.g., videos) to be played on top of or embeddedwithin another application with seamless transitions between applicationinterfaces.

The present disclosure often references videos for simplicity andbrevity. However, the teaching of the present disclosure are applied tocontent items generally and can be applied to various types of contentor content items, including for example, video, audio, text, images,program instructions, etc. The content items referred to hereinrepresent viewable and/or shareable content items.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system architecture 100, inaccordance with one implementation of the disclosure, for providingcross-application content playback functionality. The systemarchitecture 100 includes client devices 110A through 110Z, a network105, a data store 106, a content sharing platform 120, a server 130, amobile platform 150, and a social network platform 160. In oneimplementation, network 105 may include a public network (e.g., theInternet), a private network (e.g., a local area network (LAN) or widearea network (WAN)), a wired network (e.g., Ethernet network), awireless network (e.g., an 802.11 network or a Wi-Fi network), acellular network (e.g., a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), routers,hubs, switches, server computers, and/or a combination thereof. In oneimplementation, the data store 106 may be a memory (e.g., random accessmemory), a cache, a drive (e.g., a hard drive), a flash drive, adatabase system, or another type of component or device capable ofstoring data. The data store 106 may also include multiple storagecomponents (e.g., multiple drives or multiple databases) that may alsospan multiple computing devices (e.g., multiple server computers).

The client devices 110A through 110Z may each include computing devicessuch as personal computers (PCs), laptops, mobile phones, smart phones,tablet computers, netbook computers etc. In some implementations, clientdevice 110A through 110Z may also be referred to as “user devices.” Eachclient device can include a media viewer 111. In one implementation, themedia viewers 111 can be applications that allow users to view content,such as images, videos, web pages, documents, etc. For example, themedia viewer 111 can be a web browser that can access, retrieve,present, and/or navigate content (e.g., web pages such as Hyper TextMarkup Language (HTML) pages, digital media items, etc.) served by a webserver. The media viewer 111 may render, display, and/or present thecontent (e.g., a web page, a media viewer) to a user. The media viewer111 may also display an embedded media player (e.g., a Flash® player oran HTML5 player) that is embedded in a user interface. In anotherexample, the media viewer 111 may be a standalone application thatallows users to view digital media items (e.g., digital videos, digitalimages, electronic books, etc.). In some implementations, the mediaviewer 111 may provide one or more functions as will be described belowusing a widget, an application programming interface, and/or any othersoftware component.

The media viewers 111 may be provided to the client devices 110A through110Z by the server 130 and/or content sharing platform 120. For example,the media viewers 111 may be and/or include embedded media players thatare embedded in web pages or any other user interface. In anotherexample, the media viewers 111 may be and/or include applications thatare downloaded from the server 130.

In general, functions described in one implementation as being performedby the content sharing platform 120 can also be performed on the clientdevices 110A through 110Z in other implementations if appropriate. Inaddition, the functionality attributed to a particular component can beperformed by different or multiple components operating together. Thecontent sharing platform 120 can also be accessed as a service providedto other systems or devices through appropriate application programminginterfaces, and thus is not limited to use in websites.

In one implementation, the content sharing platform 120 may be one ormore computing devices (such as a rackmount server, a router computer, aserver computer, a personal computer, a mainframe computer, a laptopcomputer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, etc.), data stores(e.g., hard disks, memories, databases), networks, software components,and/or hardware components that may be used to provide a user withaccess to media items and/or provide the media items to the user. Forexample, the content sharing platform 120 may allow a user to consume,upload, search for, approve of (“like”), dislike, and/or comment onmedia items. The content sharing platform 120 may also include a website(e.g., a webpage) that may be used to provide a user with access to themedia items. Content sharing platform 120 may include any type ofcontent delivery network providing access to content and/or media items.

The content sharing platform 120 may include multiple channels (e.g.,channels A through Z). A channel can be data content available from acommon source or data content having a common topic or theme. The datacontent can be digital content chosen by a user, digital content madeavailable by a user, digital content uploaded by a user, digital contentchosen by a content provider, digital content chosen by a broadcaster,etc. For example, a channel X can include videos Y and Z. A channel canbe associated with an owner, who is a user that can perform actions onthe channel.

Different activities can be associated with the channel based on theowner's actions, such as the owner making digital content available onthe channel, the owner selecting (e.g., liking) digital contentassociated with another channel, the owner commenting on digital contentassociated with another channel, etc. The activities associated with thechannel can be collected into an activity feed for the channel. Users,other than the owner of the channel, can subscribe to one or morechannels in which they are interested. Once a user subscribes to achannel, the user can be presented with information from the channel'sactivity feed. An activity feed may be a list of recent activityassociated with the user and occurring on the social network. If a usersubscribes to multiple channels, the activity feed for each channel towhich the user is subscribed can be combined into a syndicated activityfeed. Information from the syndicated activity feed can be presented tothe user. Although channels are described as one implementation of acontent sharing platform, implementations of the disclosure are notlimited to content sharing platforms that provide content items via achannel model.

Each channel may include one or more content items 121. Examples of acontent item 121 can include, and are not limited to, digital video,digital movies, digital photos, digital music, website content, socialmedia updates, electronic books (ebooks), electronic magazines, digitalnewspapers, digital audio books, electronic journals, web blogs, realsimple syndication (RSS) feeds, electronic comic books, softwareapplications, etc. In some implementations, content item 121 is alsoreferred to as a media item.

A content item 121 may be consumed via the Internet and/or via a mobiledevice application. As used herein, “media,” “media item,” “online mediaitem,” “digital media,” “digital media item,” “content,” and “contentitem” can include an electronic file that can be executed or loadedusing software, firmware or hardware configured to present the digitalcontent item to an entity. In one implementation, the content sharingplatform 120 may store the content items 121 using the data store 106.

Mobile platform 150 may be and/or include one or more computing devices(such as a rackmount server, a router computer, a server computer, apersonal computer, a mainframe computer, a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a desktop computer, etc.), data stores, networks, softwarecomponents, and/or hardware components that may be used to allow usersto connect to, share information, and/or interact with each other usingone or more mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers,laptop computers, wearable computing devices, etc.) and/or any othersuitable device. For example, the mobile platform 150 may enabletelephony communication, Short Message Service (SMS) messaging,Multimedia Message Service (MMS) messaging, text chat, video chat,and/or any other communication between users.

The mobile platform 150 may present to a user a listing (e.g., activityfeed, feed, stream, wall, etc.) of objects (e.g., posts, content items(e.g., videos, images, audios, etc.), status updates, favorabilityindications, tags, messages, etc.) provided by other users of the mobileplatform. The mobile platform 150 may also include a content sharingaspect that allow users to upload, view, tag, share, and/or perform anyother function on content, such as text content, video content, imagecontent, audio content, etc. Other users of the mobile platform 150 maycomment on the shared content, discover new content, locate updates,share content, and otherwise interact with the provided content.

The social network platform 160 may be and/or include one or morecomputing devices (such as a rackmount server, a router computer, aserver computer, a personal computer, a mainframe computer, a laptopcomputer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, etc.), data stores(e.g., hard disks, memories, databases), networks, software components,and/or hardware components that may be used to provide a user withcontent sharing services.

In one implementation, the content sharing platform 120 may beintegrated with the mobile platform 150 and/or the social networkplatform 160. For example, the mobile platform 150 and/or the socialnetwork platform 160 may use the content sharing platform 120 to provideusers with content sharing, content storage, content streaming, contentprocessing, and/or any other service. In one example, a user of themobile platform 150 and/or the social network platform 160 may uploadand/or share content via the content sharing platform 120. In anotherimplementation, the mobile platform 150 and the social network platform160 may be separate from the content sharing platform 120.

In one implementation, the server 130 may be one or more computingdevices (e.g., a rackmount server, a server computer, etc.). In oneimplementation, the server 130 may be included in the content sharingplatform 120, the mobile platform 150, and/or the social networkplatform 160. In another implementation, the server 130 may be separatefrom one or more of the content sharing platform 120, the mobileplatform 150, and the social network platform 160 but may communicatewith (e.g., exchange data with) the content sharing platform 120, themobile platform 150, and/or the social network platform 160.

In one implementation, the server 130 may include a server-side contentplayer component 140. The media viewer 111 at the client device110A-110Z can include a client-side content player component 115. Thecontent player component 115, 140 may operate together to provide across-application content player viewable at one or more of clientdevices 110A-110Z. In other implementations, one or the other of thecontent player component 115, 140 may individually provide thecross-application content player viewable at one or more of clientdevices 110A-110Z.

In one implementation, the content player components 115 and/or 140 maygenerate the cross-application content player at the media viewer 111 toprovide playback of a content item 121 of the content sharing platform120 when a user of the client device 110 a interacts with multipleapplications. As an example, while the user interacts with a firstapplication, the media viewer 111 can provide playback of the contentitem (e.g., a video) in a content player on top of a user interface ofthe first application. When the user starts interacting with a secondapplication (e.g., a chat application), the media viewer 111 can providethe playback of the content item on top of a user interface of thesecond application. As such, the cross-application content player may bepersistently visible to the user while the user interacts with multipleapplications running on the client device.

The media viewer 111 can also provide the user with content sharingfunctionality while providing playback of the content in thecross-application content player. As an example, the media viewer 111may cause the content item to be shared with one or more other usersupon the user moving the cross-application content player into a textbox or other user interface element provided by the first applicationand/or the second application.

Further description of the media viewer 111 and its specific functionsis described in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

Although implementations of the disclosure are discussed in terms ofcontent sharing platforms and promoting social network sharing of acontent item on the content sharing platform, implementations may alsobe generally applied to any type of social network providing connectionsbetween users or to any type of content delivery platform providingcontent to end users. Implementations of the disclosure are not limitedto content sharing platforms that provide channel subscriptions tousers.

In situations in which the systems discussed here collect personalinformation about users, or may make use of personal information, theusers may be provided with an opportunity to control whether the contentsharing platform 120 collects user information (e.g., information abouta user's social network, social actions or activities, profession, auser's preferences, or a user's current location), or to control whetherand/or how to receive content from the content server that may be morerelevant to the user. In addition, certain data may be treated in one ormore ways before it is stored or used, so that personally identifiableinformation is removed. For example, a user's identity may be treated sothat no personally identifiable information can be determined for theuser, or a user's geographic location may be generalized where locationinformation is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level),so that a particular location of a user cannot be determined. Thus, theuser may have control over how information is collected about the userand used by the content sharing platform 120, the server 130, the mobileplatform 150, the social network platform 160, and/or any othercomponent of the system 100.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example 200 of a clientdevice in accordance with some implementations of the disclosure. Asshown, client device 200 can include an operating system 202 and one ormore applications 206A, 206B, and 206N running on operating system 202.While three applications are shown in FIG. 2A, this is merelyillustrative. Any suitable number of applications can run on operatingsystem 202 in accordance with implementations of the disclosure. Clientdevice 200 can be the same as one or more of client devices 110 a-z asdescribed above in conjunction with FIG. 1 .

Each of applications 206 a-n can provide any suitable functionality,such as content sharing functionality, social networking functionality,messaging functionality, chat functionality, email functionality,mapping service, media playback functionality, etc. Each of applications206 a-206 n can provide one or more user interfaces for presentation ona screen of client device 200. Applications 206 a-206 n can be providedby and/or associated with one or more suitable platforms. For example,one or more of the applications 206 a-206 n can be provided by a contentsharing platform (e.g., the content sharing platform 120 of FIG. 1 ). Asanother example, one or more of the applications 206 a-206 n can beprovided by and/or associated with a social network platform (e.g., thesocial network platform 160 of FIG. 1 ).

In some implementations, one or more applications 206 a-206 n can bemobile applications. As referred to herein, a mobile application can beand/or include one or more software programs that can run on a mobiledevice (e.g. a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, amobile phone, a wearable computing device, etc.).

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, operating system 202 can provide a contentplayer application program interface (API) 204 that can provide variouscontent playback functions. As will be discussed in conjunction withFIG. 2B, content player API 204 can provide playback of a content item(e.g., a content item 121 of FIG. 1 ) by communicating with theserver-side content player component 140 of FIGS. 1 and 2B.

In some implementations, content player API 204 can provide playback ofthe content item in a cross-application content player on top of userinterfaces provided by applications 206 a-206 n and/or operating system202. For example, content player API 204 can overlay thecross-application content player on top of any user interface beingpresented on a screen of client deice 200, such as user interfacesdescribed below in conjunction with FIGS. 3-6 .

As another example, a first application running on client device 200(e.g., application 206 a) can provide user interfaces for presentationon client device 200. Additionally, the first application can provideplayback of the content item on top of the user interfaces. In responseto detecting a user request to switch from the first application to asecond application (e.g., application 206 b), content player API 204 canbe invoked (e.g., by the first application, the second application or OS202). Content player API 204 can then overlay the cross-applicationcontent player on top of user interfaces of the second application andcan provide playback of the content item in the cross-applicationcontent player.

Each of applications 206 a-206 n can include a media viewer 111 a-111 nfor providing the cross-application content player. As an example,application 206 a provides one or more user interfaces for presentationon a screen of client device 200. Media viewer 111 a can provideplayback of a content item in a content player overlaid on the userinterfaces. For example, as will be discussed below in conjunction withFIGS. 3-4 , the playback of the content item can be provided in contentplayers 310, 360, and 410 when user interfaces 300, 350, and 400 arepresented on the screen of client device 200, respectively. As will bediscussed in more detail in connection with FIG. 2B, media viewer 111a-n can provide playback of the content item by interacting and/orcommunicating with the server-side content player component 140 of FIG.2B.

While media viewer 111 a provides the playback of the content item, auser request pertaining to a second application can be received (e.g.,media viewer 111 a can determine that such a request has been receivedby implementing an event listener, or OS 202 can intercept such arequest and notify media viewer 111 a). As an example, the user requestcan be and/or include a request to share the content item using thesecond application (e.g., application 206 b). As another example, theuser request can be and/or include a request to present content (e.g.,images, web pages, user interfaces, notifications, etc.) provided by thesecond application.

Responsive to the user request, media viewer 111 a can continue playbackof the content item in a cross-application content player. For example,as will be discussed below in conjunction with FIGS. 4-6 , contentplayers 460, 510 a, 510 b, and 632 can be overlaid on top of userinterfaces 450, 500 a, 500 b, and 600, respectively.

In one implementation, media viewer 111 a can invoke content player API204 (e.g., by making an API call) responsive to the user request.Content player API 204 can then provide playback of the content item ontop of user interfaces of application 206 b.

In another implementation, media viewer 111 b can invoke content playerAPI 204 (e.g., by making an API call and/or by invoking API 204 viaanother application running on client device 202).

In another implementation, media viewer 111 a can pass a play state thatcan be used to provide the playback of the content item in contentplayers on top of interfaces provided by application 206 b. The playstate can include a video identifier that identifies the content item, atimestamp corresponding to the user request pertaining to the secondapplication (e.g., a timestamp indicative of a position in the contentitem when a request to switch to the second application is received),session information (e.g., a user identifier, a session token, etc.)that can be used to request data from a server for providing playback ofthe content item, and/or any other information that can be used toprovide the playback of the content item on top of application 206 b.Media viewer 111 a can pass the play state to media viewer 111 b byproviding a video object containing the play state, a video renderer(e.g., a function pointer that is pointed to the play state and/or thevideo object), and/or in any other suitable manner. Upon receiving theplay state from media viewer 111 a, media viewer 111 b can invokecontent player API 204 for providing playback of the content item on topof user interfaces provided by application 206 b. Alternatively oradditionally, as will be discussed in FIG. 2B, media viewer 111 b canprovide playback of the content item on top of user interfaces providedby application 206 b by communicating with the server-side contentplayer component 140 of FIGS. 1 and 2B.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating a client-side content playercomponent 115 and server-side content player component 140 in accordancewith some implementations of the disclosure. In one implementation, theserver-side content player component 140 includes a server-side userinterface (UI) generation module 210 and a server-side content playbackmodule 220. More or less components may be included in the server-sidecontent player component 140 without loss of generality. For example,two of the modules may be combined into a single module, or one of themodules may be divided into two or more modules. In one implementation,one or more of the modules may reside on different computing devices(e.g., different server computers). The media viewer 111 as illustratedin FIG. 2B can be and/or include one or more of the content player API204 and the media viewers 11A-111N.

The media viewer 111 may be part of a client device, such as clientdevice 110 a-110Z of FIG. 1 . Media viewer 111 may include a client-sideUI generation module 250, a touchscreen application programminginterface (API) 260, and a client-side content player component 115. Inone implementation, the media viewer 111 is the same as its counterpartdescribed with respect to FIG. 1 . Client-side content player component115 may include a client-side content playback module 270 and a contentsharing module 280. More or less components may be included in the mediaviewer 111 and/or the client-side content player component 115 withoutloss of generality. For example, two of the modules may be combined intoa single module, or one of the modules may be divided into two or moremodules.

The server-side content player component 140 and the media viewer 111may be communicatively coupled to each other and to the data store 106.For example, the server-side content player component 140 and the mediaviewer 111 may be coupled to each other and the data store 106 via anetwork (e.g., via network 105 as illustrated in FIG. 1 ). In anotherexample, the server-side content player component 140 may be coupleddirectly to a server where the server-side content player component 140resides (e.g., may be directly coupled to server 130).

The data store 106 may be a memory (e.g., random access memory), acache, a drive (e.g., a hard drive), a flash drive, a database system,or another type of component or device capable of storing data. The datastore 106 may also include multiple storage components (e.g., multipledrives or multiple databases) that may also span multiple computingdevices (e.g., multiple server computers). The data store 106 includescontent item data 290, user data 291, and content player data 292.

The content item data 290 may include information related to contentitems 121 of FIG. 1 and/or any other content item. For example, thecontent item data 290 may include information that can be used toprovide playback of the content items 121 (e.g., video content, audiocontent, metadata, etc.). In another example, the content item data 251may include identifying information related to the content items 121(e.g. content identifiers, uniform resource identifiers (URIs), etc.).

The user data 291 may include information related to users of a contentsharing platform, such as the content sharing platform 120 of FIG. 1 .For example, the user data 291 may include identifying information thatcan be used to identify the users, such as user identifiers associatedwith the users. In another example, the user data 291 may includeinformation related to user accounts associated with the users, such asaccount identifiers, channel identifiers, etc. In some implementations,a given user can be associated with one or more user accounts on one ormore platforms (e.g., the content sharing platform 120, the mobileplatform 150, the social network platform 160, etc.).

The content item player data 292 can include any information that can beused to provide a content player for playback of a content item (e.g.,the content item 121, a content item stored on a local storage of aclient device, etc.). As an example, the content item player data 292can include information about a position of the content player within auser interface, dimensions of the application content player (e.g., alayout width, a layout height, etc.), etc. As another example, thecontent item player data 292 can include play states and/or any otherinformation related to the content item.

In one implementation, the client-side UI generation module 250 and/orthe server-side UI generation module 210 can provide a UI for thecontent sharing platform to present to a user via media viewer 111. TheUI may include menus and interfaces for the user to interact with thecontent sharing platform via media viewer 111. For example, the menusand interfaces may include a suggestions interface of what to watchnext, a search interface for content items of the content sharingplatform, a browsing interface for content items of the content sharingplatform, a settings interface, a subscriptions interface, a playlistsinterface, a favorites interface, a history interface, an uploadsinterface, and so on. When the user selects a content item to view viaone of the menus or interfaces, or when the media viewer is initiallyopened as a result of the user's selection of a content item in adifferent application on the client device than the media viewer 111,the client-side UI generation module 250 may provide a content playerfor playback of the selected content item.

As part of providing the content player, client-side UI generationmodule 250 may receive content item data 290, user data 291, and/orcontent player data 292 from the content sharing platform 120 and/or theserver 130. For example, client-side UI generation module 250 mayreceive this data 290, 291, 292 in response to a user selection of thecontent item for playback via a menu or interface of the media viewer111. In some implementations, content item data 290 is streamed to mediaviewer 111 by content sharing platform for playback by media viewer 111to the user.

In one implementation, the client-side UI generation module 250 may passthe received data 290, 291 onto client-side content player component 115to generate a content player for playback of the content item at mediaviewer 111. The content player may be presented in a variety of formats,depending on a type of client device and/or the actions of the user onthe client device. Data corresponding to the generated content player,such as format and user preferences, may be stored in content playerdata 292 of data store 106. In one implementation, when the contentplayer is generated, the UI of the media viewer 111 may include both thecontent player and an information section. The content player providesplayback of a current media item (e.g., a media item selected from aplaylist). The information window may display information regarding thecurrent content item shown in the content player and/or a list ofcontent items pertaining to the current media item (e.g., recommendedcontent items related to the current media item, a playlist includingcurrent media item, etc.). In other implementations, the content playermay encompass the entire UI of media viewer 111.

In other implementations, server-side content player component 140 cangenerate the content player. The server-side content player generationmodule 210 sends data for generating the content player to the mediaviewer 111. In some implementations, the server-side content playergeneration module 210 may interact with the client-side UI generationmodule 250 to determine the format and other client-device specificfeatures for the content player to be displayed in the content sharingplatform UI of the media viewer 111. Media viewer 111 may then displaythe UI and content player based on the received data from server-sidecontent player component 140. In other implementations, the server-sidecontent player component 140 and the client-side content playercomponent 115 may cooperate to generate the content player at mediaviewer 111.

In one implementation, the client device can provide a touchscreen API260 to the media viewer 111 to enable gesture detection and/orrecognition. The touchscreen API 260 can detect one or more gesturesmade on a touchscreen of the client device. The touchscreen API 260 canalso translate the detected gestures into data signals that can beprocessed by the media viewer 111 and/or any other application runningon the client device. In one example, when a user of the client deviceplaces one or more fingers on the touchscreen, the touchscreen API 260detects a touch event and gathers information related to the touch event(e.g., the position of the user's fingers, the pressure placed by theuser's fingers, the size of the touchscreen selected by the user'sfingers, the length of the touch event, etc.). The touchscreen API 260then processes the information related to the touch event to determineif the touch event corresponds to a gesture. Examples of the gestureinclude “touch,” “press,” “swipe,” “drag,” “double touch,” “pinch,”and/or any other gesture recognizable by the client device.

Upon detecting a gesture, the touchscreen API 260 can provideinformation related to the gesture to the other components of the mediaviewer 111 (e.g., the client-side content playback module 270, theclient-side UI generation module 250, etc.) and/or any other applicationfor processing. For example, the client-side content playback module 270can determine and/or perform an action corresponding to the gesturebased on the information. Additionally or alternatively, the touchscreenAPI 260 can provide the information to the server-side content playergeneration module 210 for similar processing.

As described above, the media viewer 111 may provide content playbackfunctionality across multiple applications. As an example, the mediaviewer 111 may provide playback of a content item (e.g., a video) in acontent player that can be persistently visible to a user of a clientdevice (e.g., a client device 110A of FIG. 1 ) when the user interactswith user interfaces of applications running on the client device.

In one implementation, while the user interacts with a user interface ofa first application (also referred to as “first user interface”), theclient-side content playback module 270 and/or the server-side contentplayback module 220 can provide a content player (also referred to as“first content player”) for playback of the content item within thefirst user interface. In one implementation, the first user interfacecan be provided by the client-side UI generation module 250 and/or theserver-side UI generation module 210 as described above. In anotherimplementation, the first user interface can be provided by any otherapplication running on the client device.

In one implementation, one or more portions of the content item can bestored in a local storage on the client device. In anotherimplementation, the content item can be provided (e.g., streamed,broadcast, etc.) by the content sharing platform 120 and/or any otherplatform that can provide a content item. As an example, the playback ofthe content item can be provided using the content item data 290 storedin the data store 106.

In some implementations, during the playback of the content item, theclient-side content playback module 270 can store information related tothe playback of the content item in a local storage on the clientdevice, the data storage 106 and/or any other storage. As an example,the information can include play states of the content item, such as atimestamp or any other data corresponding to a playback position of thecontent item. As another example, the information can includeidentifying information related to one or more portions of the contentitem, such as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) associated with thecontent item. As yet another example, the information can include anyinformation that can be used to authenticate the user and/or clientdevice for playback of the content item, such as a user identifier, apassword, a session identifier, etc. The information related to theplayback of the content item can be stored periodically, at random timeinstances, upon detecting an event (e.g., an input event initiatingsharing of the content item), or at any other suitable time.

In implementations of the disclosure, the first content player can bepersistently visible to the user while playing back the content item toprovide a “watch-while” experience. As an example, the user may minimizethe first content player into a smaller view (also referred to as a“mini-player”) in the first user interface or any other user interfaceof the first application. With the content player minimized, the usercan browse and interact with other interfaces, functions, and menusprovided by the first application while consuming the content item. Forexample, the other interfaces, functions, and menus may include asuggestions interface of what to watch next, a search interface forcontent items of the content sharing platform, a browsing interface forcontent items of the content sharing platform, a settings interface, asubscriptions interface, a playlists interface a favorites interface, ahistory interface, an uploads interface, etc. As will be discussed infurther detail in conjunction with FIG. 3 , the user may interact withthese interfaces, functions, and menus without interrupting playback ofthe content item.

The mini-player can be located in any suitable position within the firstuser interface and/or the other user interfaces of the firstapplication. For example, the media viewer 111 can place the mini-playerin a particular portion of the first user interface upon receiving auser input identifying the portion of the first user interface (e.g., agesture moving (e.g., dragging, swiping, etc.) the mini-player to theportion of the first user interface). As another example, the mediaviewer 111 can place the mini-player in a default portion of the firstuser interface. The first content player and/or the mini-player may alsobe minimized, maximized, and/or dismissed via gesture controls that arerelative to the content player portion of the media viewer UI.

While providing playback of the content item in the first content playerand/or the mini-player, the media viewer 111 may receive a user requestpertaining to a second application. In one example, the user request canbe and/or include a request to launch the second application on theclient device. As another example, the user request can be and/orinclude a request to share the content item using the second applicationand/or a platform associated with the second application. As stillanother example, the user request can be and/or include a request for auser interface of the second application. In one implementation, theuser request can correspond to a user selection of a portion of thefirst user interface that corresponds to the user interface of thesecond application, such as a link, an image, a video annotation, etc.In some implementations, the user request corresponds to one or moregestures detected by the touchscreen API 260.

The second application can be provided by any service and/or platform,such as the content sharing platform 120, the mobile platform 150, thesocial network platform 160, etc. The second application can provide anyfunctionality, such as content sharing functionality, social networkingfunctionality, messaging functionality, chat functionality, emailfunctionality, mapping service, etc.

The media viewer 111 can cause the playback of the content item tocontinue without interruption while the user interacts with the secondapplication. For example, while a user interface of the secondapplication (also referred to herein as “second user interface”) ispresented on the client device, the client-side content playback module270 and/or the server-side content playback module 220 can provide asecond content player for playback of the content item in the seconduser interface. In one implementation, the second content player can beoverlaid on the second user interface. In another implementation, thesecond content player can be an embedded video player. The secondapplication can define the size and/or position of the second contentplayer.

The playback of the content item can continue in the second contentplayer without interruption. For example, the client-side contentplayback module 270 can retrieve a current play state of the contentitem. The current play state can include a time stamp, a UniformResource Identifier (URI), and/or any other information that can be usedto determine a playback position in the content item corresponding tothe user request. The playback of the content item can then continue inthe second content player from the playback position.

In one implementation, the client-side content playback module 270 canretrieve the current play state from the local storage that stores playstates of the content item. In another implementation, the client-sidecontent playback module 270 can retrieve the play state from a platformthat provides the content item (e.g., the content sharing platform 120).As an example, the client-side content playback module 270 may retrieve,from the local storage, information that can be used to authenticate theuser and/or a user account associated with the user, such as a useridentifier, a password, a session identifier, etc. The media viewer 111can then authenticate the user and/or the user account with the platformusing the retrieved information. Upon successfully authenticating theuser and/or the user account, the platform can transmit, to the mediaviewer 111, the current play state and/or any other data for use toprovide playback of the content item.

In some implementations, the second content player can be a smaller viewof the first content player. The second content player can beimplemented in any of a variety of sizes and is not limited to aspecific position within a user interface of the second application. Thesecond content player can also be moved (e.g., dragged, swiped, etc.)within the second user interface or any other user interface of thesecond application to suit the user's preferences.

During the playback of the content item, the media viewer 111 can alsoprovide content sharing functionality. For example, the content sharingmodule 280 can cause the content item to be shared with one or moreother users in response to detecting an input event initiating sharingof the content item. In one implementation, the input event correspondsto one or more gestures recognized by the touchscreen API module 260,such as a “drag” gesture, a “drop” gesture, a “tap” gesture, etc. Inanother implementation, the input event corresponds to any user inputthat initiates the sharing of the content item.

In some implementations, the second user interface can include a textbox for providing email, chat, messaging, content sharing, data entry,and/or any other functionality. The input event initiating sharing ofthe content item can correspond to one or more user inputs that move thesecond content player to the text box. In one implementation, as will bediscussed in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 5 , the user may dragthe second content player to the text box to initiate sharing of thecontent item. In one implementation, the content sharing module 280causes a link to the content item and/or any other information of thecontent item to be pasted in the text box upon detecting the inputevent. In another implementation, the media viewer 111 notifies thesecond application of the input event. The second application thenpastes information of the content item in the text box and/or causes thecontent item to be shared with one or more other users upon receivingthe notification.

In some implementations, the media viewer 111 can provide playback ofthe content item while a notification interface is presented on theclient device. The notification interface can be presented inassociation with a home screen, a lock screen, a notification center, anapplication user interface, and/or any other user interface provided byan operation system of the client device and/or any application runningon the client device. The notification interface can includenotifications and any other information provided by an operating systemof the client device and/or one or more applications running on theclient device (e.g., information related to news, stocks, weather,application updates, etc.). In one implementation, a notificationinterface 600 of FIG. 6 can be presented.

The media viewer 111 can cause the playback of the content item tocontinue in the notification interface. As an example, the client-sidecontent playback module 270 can provide a content player for playback ofthe content item (also referred to herein as the “third content player”)within the notification interface. While the user interacts with thenotification interface, the third content player persists on the top ofthe notification interface.

In one implementation, the third content player provides playback ofboth video content and audio content associated with the content itemwhen the notification interface is presented on the client device. Inanother implementation, the audio content associated with the contentitem can be played when the notification interface is not presented onthe client device. As an example, the client-side content playbackmodule 270 can provide playback of the audio content in response todetecting an input event corresponding to minimization or dismissal ofthe notification interface (e.g., a user selection of a minimization ordismissal icon on the notification interface, a “swipe” gesture, and/orany other user input indicative of a user request to minimize or dismissthe notification interface). In one implementation, the client-sidecontent playback module 270 can request and receive data for use toprovide playback of the audio content from the content platform 120 orany other platform. The received data can include a current play stateof the audio content, audio data, and/or any other data that can be usedto provide playback of the audio content. In another implementation, theclient-side content playback module 270 can receive the data for use toprovide playback of the audio content from a local storage on the clientdevice.

The client-side content playback module 270 can also resume playback ofthe content item (e.g., the video content and the audio contentassociated with the content item) in the third content player inresponse to detecting an input event corresponding to presentation ofthe notification interface (e.g., a “swipe” gesture on the client deviceand/or any other user input indicative of a user request forpresentation or maximization of the notification interface). In oneimplementation, the client-side content playback module 270 can requestand receive data for use to provide playback of the content item fromthe content platform 120 or any other platform. The received data caninclude a current play state of the content item, audio data, videodata, and/or any other data that can be used to provide playback of thecontent item, etc. In another implementation, the client-side contentplayback module 270 can receive the data for use to provide playback ofthe content item from the local storage on the client device.

FIGS. 3-6 illustrate examples of user interfaces for providing across-application content player in accordance with some implementationsof the disclosed subject matter. In some implementations, one or moreportions of user interfaces shown in FIGS. 2-6 can be provided by themedia viewer 111 and/or the server-side content player component 140 asdescribed above in connection with FIGS. 1-2 . The user interfaces canbe presented on a client device (a client device 110A).

FIG. 3 illustrates examples of application user interfaces 300 and 350in accordance with some implementations of the disclosure. Userinterface 300 and/or 350 can be provided by the first application asdescribed above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2 .

As shown, user interface 300 can include a content player 310 that canbe used to provide playback of a content item (e.g., a video). Contentplayer 310 can be provided by the media viewer 111 and/or theserver-side content player component 140 as described above inconjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2 . In some implementations, the contentitem can be played along with information related to the content item,such as a title of the content item, a thumbnail image representative ofthe content item, and any other information related to the content item.

User interface 300 can include one or more user interface elements 320for presenting information related to the content item currentlyplaying, such as information about a channel that provides the video,information about content items that are related to the video (e.g.,content items having the same or similar topics, genres, keywords,etc.), etc.

A user of the client device can interact with user interface 300 and/orany other user interface presented on the client device withoutinterrupting the playback of the content item. In one example, the usermay initiate sharing of the video with one or more other users byselecting a “share” button 312. As will be described in further detailbelow in connection with FIGS. 4-5 , while one or more user interfacesfor sharing the content item are presented on the client device, theplayback of the content item continues without interruption.

In still another example, the user may minimize the content player 310within user interface 300 by selecting a minimization indicator 314.Alternatively or additionally, content player 310 can be minimized bythe media viewer 111 in response to detecting one or more user gestures(e.g., swiping down in the content player 310, dragging the contentplayer 310 to a portion of the user interface 300, etc.).

In one implementation, user interface 350 is an example of anapplication user interface that can be presented to the user responsiveto the minimization action(s). As illustrated, user interface 350 caninclude a content player 360 for providing playback of the video. Thecontent item can be played in content player 360 based on a current playstate of the content item (e.g., a timestamp and/or any otherinformation indicative of a playback position in the content itemcorresponding to the minimization action(s)). Content player 360 can beprovided by the media viewer 111 and/or the server-side content playercomponent 140 as described above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2 .

User interface 350 may also include interfaces for videos 372, channels374, playlist 376, searching 378, and a home menu 380. As shown in FIG.3 , the playlist interface 376 is currently active and displayingmultiple playlist items 382. The user can navigate these interfaces andmenus while content player 360 continues uninterrupted playback of thecontent item. For example, responsive to a user selection of the channelmenu 374, a new interface (not shown in FIG. 3 ) can be presented to theuser. The content player 360 can persist on the new interface and cancontinue to provide playback of the content item.

Content player 360 can be dismissed responsive to one or more gestures(e.g., swiping the content player 360 towards a direction). Contentplayer 360 can also be maximized to its original or default contentplayer format (e.g., content player 310) responsive to a user selectionof home button 380, swiping the content player 360 towards a direction,pinching the content player 360, and/or using any other gesture.

While content player 360 is positioned at the bottom right corner ofuser interface 350 as shown in FIG. 3 , this is merely illustrative.Content player 360 can be positioned in any portion of user interface350. In some implementations, content player 360 may be positioned in aportion of user interface 350 identified by the user. For example, theuser may identify the portion of the user interface 350 by moving (e.g.,dragging) content player 360 to the portion of user interface 350.

Turning to FIG. 4 , examples of user interfaces 400 and 450 forproviding content sharing functionality in accordance with someimplementations of the disclosed subject matter is shown. Userinterfaces 400 and/or 450 may be presented responsive to an input eventinitiating sharing of the content item (e.g., a user selection of“share” button 312 of FIG. 3 , a voice command, etc.).

As illustrated, user interface 400 can include a content player 410 forproviding playback of the content item. The content item can be playedin content player 410 based on a current play state of the content item(e.g., a timestamp and/or any other information indicative of a playbackposition in the content item corresponding to the input event initiatingsharing of the content item). Content player 410 can be provided by themedia viewer 111 and/or the server-side content player component 140 asdescribed above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2 .

User interface 400 can also include a content sharing interface 420 thatpresents information of one or more applications and/or platforms viawhich the content item can be shared. User interface 450 can then bepresented to the user responsive to a user selection of one or more ofthe applications and/or platforms. The playback of the video cancontinue by content player 460 in user interface 450. Content player 460can be provided by the media viewer 111 and/or the server-side contentplayer component 140 as described above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and2 .

In some implementations, user interface 450 may also include a contentsharing interface 470 for sharing information about the content item viathe application and/or platform selected by the user. Content sharinginterface 470 can include a privacy setting option 472. In oneimplementation, the user may indicate that information related to thecontent item is to be accessible to all users of the platform using theprivacy setting option 472. In another implementation, the user mayindicate that information related to the content item is to beaccessible to one or more selected users of the platform using theprivacy setting option 472.

Content sharing interface 470 can also include a text box 474 that canbe used to enter text, images, and/or any other content to be sharedalong with information related to the video. The user may initiatesharing of the video by selecting a share button 476. The sharing can becancelled in response to receiving a user selection of a cancel button478.

In one implementation, the user may move (e.g., drag) content player 460towards and/or into text box 474 to share the video. In response todetecting the user's gesture to begin to move content player 460 (e.g.,by selecting one or more portions of content player 460) and/or torelease content player 460 within text box 474, the media viewer 111 maycause information related to the content item (e.g., a link to thecontent item, a description of the content item, an image of the contentitem, etc.) to be pasted in the text box. In another implementation, theinformation related to the content item can be shown in text box 474 inresponse to the user selection of the platform and/or application usingsharing interface 420.

Turning to FIG. 5 , examples of user interfaces 500 a and 500 b forproviding a content player across multiple applications in accordancewith some implementations of the disclosure are shown. In oneimplementation, user interfaces 500 a and/or 500 b can be presented tothe user responsive to a user request pertaining to a second application(e.g., a chat application, a messaging application, a social networkapplication, etc.).

As illustrated, user interface 500 a-500 b may include a content player510 a-510 b for providing playback of the content item. Content player510 a-510 b can persist on top of user interface 500 a-500 b and cancontinue playback of the content item while the user interacts with userinterface 500 a-500 b and/or other user interface of the secondapplication. Content player 510 a-510 b can be provided by the mediaviewer 111 and/or the server-side content player component 140 asdescribed above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2 .

User interface 500 a-500 b can also include various user interface (UI)elements for providing functionality of the second application. As anexample, user interface 500 a can include one or more UI elements 520 afor presenting information related to the video, such as news related tothe content item, web pages related to the content item, images relatedto the content item, etc.

As another example, user interface 500 b can include one or more UIelements 520 b for providing chat functionality to the user. In oneimplementation, UI elements 520 b may include a text box 522 that can beused to enter text, images, audio content, video content, and/or anyother content. The user can send the content in text box 522 to one ormore other users by selecting a “send” button 524. The user may alsomove content player 510 b towards and/or into text box 522 to initiatesharing of the content item with the other user(s). In one example,information related to the content item (e.g., a link to the contentitem) can be pasted in text box 522 upon when the user drags contentplayer 510 b towards text box 552 and drops content player 510 b. Theplayback of the content item continues in content player 510 b while theuser drags and/or drops content player 510 b.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a notification interface 600 inaccordance with some implementations of the disclosure. Notificationinterface 600 can be presented in association with a home screen, a lockscreen, a notification center, an application interface, and/or anyother user interface provided by an operating system of the clientdevice or any application running on the client device.

As illustrated, user interface 600 can include one or more notificationitems 610, 620, 630, and 640. Each of notification items 610, 620, 630,and 640 can include text, video content, audio content, graphics, and/orany other content. Each of notification items 610, 620, 630, and 640 caninclude any information provided by the operating system of the clientdevice and/or one or more applications running on the client device.

Notification item 630 can include a content player 632 for providingplayback of the content item. Content player 632 can be provided by themedia viewer 111 and/or the server-side content player component 140 asdescribed above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2 . Notification item630 can also include a playback control component 634 for controllingthe playback of the video (e.g., rewinding, forwarding, pausing, etc.the playback of the video).

Notification interface 600 can also include a minimization indicator650. The user may minimize and/or dismiss notification interface 600 byselecting the minimization indicator 650 and/or using one or moregestures (e.g., swiping towards a direction). When the notificationinterface 600 is minimized and/or dismissed, the media viewer 111 canplay audio content associated with the content item.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are flow diagrams illustrating methods for providing across-application content player by a client device, according tovarious implementations of the disclosure. The methods may be performedby processing logic that comprises hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicatedlogic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g.,instructions run on a processing device to perform hardware simulation),or a combination thereof.

For simplicity of explanation, the methods of this disclosure aredepicted and described as a series of acts. However, acts in accordancewith this disclosure can occur in various orders and/or concurrently,and with other acts not presented and described herein. Furthermore, notall illustrated acts may be required to implement the methods inaccordance with the disclosed subject matter. In addition, those skilledin the art will understand and appreciate that the methods couldalternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states via astate diagram or events. Additionally, it should be appreciated that themethods disclosed in this specification are capable of being stored onan article of manufacture to facilitate transporting and transferringsuch methods to computing devices. The term “article of manufacture,” asused herein, is intended to encompass a computer program accessible fromany computer-readable device or storage media.

Referring to FIG. 7A, method 700 may be performed by a processing deviceexecuting the media viewer 111 on the client device as shown in FIGS. 1and 2 .

As illustrated, method 700 begins at block 710 when the processingdevice receives, from a server device, data for use to provide playbackof the content item. In one implementation, the received data caninclude and/or be the content item data 290 and/or content player data292 as described above in connection with FIG. 2 .

At block 720, the processing device can provide playback of the contentitem in a first content player within a first user interface of a firstapplication (e.g., a first mobile application associated with a firstplatform such as a content sharing platform). In some implementations,the first content player can be persistently visible to a user of theclient device while the user interacts with the first application.

At block 730, the processing device can receive an indication of a userrequest pertaining to a second application (e.g., a second mobileapplication associated with a second platform other than the firstplatform). In one example, the user request can include and/or be arequest to share the content item using the second application (e.g., anemail application, a messaging application, a social networkapplication, etc.). In another example, the user request can includeand/or be a request for a user interface of the second application(e.g., a user selection of a link or any other UI element directed tothe user interface of the second application). The indication of theuser request pertaining to the second application can be a notification(e.g., a message) provided by an event listener implemented by mediaviewer 111, or API 204 invoked by the second application or the OS ofthe client device.

At block 740, the processing device can determine a play state of thecontent item corresponding to the user request. In one implementation,the processing device receives information related to the play statefrom a local storage on the client device. In another implementation,the processing device receives information related to the play statefrom the server device.

At block 750, the processing device can provide playback of the contentitem in a second content player within a second user interface of thesecond application based on the play state. For example, the processingdevice can determine a playback position in the content item based onthe play state. The processing device can then provide playback of thecontent item from the playback position. In some implementations,providing playback of the content item in the second content playerwithin the second user interface may involve the first application(which has permission from the operating system of the client device todraw over the second application and optionally other applications),hovering a watch-while mini-player over the second user interface of thesecond application, where the second content player can represent thewatch-while mini-player. In one implementation, the second userinterface can be and/or include a notification interface as describedabove in connection with FIGS. 1, 2, and 6 .

At block 760, the processing device can detect an input event initiatingsharing of the content item with one or more users. In one example, theinput event corresponds to a user input (e.g., a gesture) to move thesecond content player (e.g., the watch-while mini-player) within thesecond user interface (e.g., moving the second content player towardsand/or into a text box in the second use interface or any other portionof the second user interface).

At block 770, the processing device can cause information related to thecontent item to be shared with the users. For example, the processingdevice causes the information to be pasted in a text box of the seconduser interface that provides chat, email, messaging, and/or any otherfunctionality.

In other implementations, providing playback of the content item in thesecond content player within the second user interface may involve thefirst application or the second application invoking API 204, which thenobtains the play state of the content item from the first applicationand passes this play state to the second application, as will bediscussed in more detail below in conjunction with FIG. 7B.

Referring to FIG. 7B, method 775 may be performed by a processing deviceexecuting the API 204 on client device 200 as shown in FIG. 2 .

As illustrated, method 775 begins at block 778 when the processingdevice receives, during playback of a content item in a first contentplayer within a first user interface of a first mobile application, anindication of a user request pertaining to a second mobile application.The indication may be received from the first application or the secondapplication when the first application or the second application invokesAPI 204,

At block 780, the processing device identifies a play state of thecontent item corresponding to the user request. The play state of thecontent item may be requested by API 204 from the first applicationand/or provided to API 204 by the first application.

At block 782, the processing device causes playback of the content itemin a second content player within a second user interface of the secondmobile application based on the play state of the content item. Theplayback of the content item in the second content player can be causedby API 204 passing the play state of the content item to the secondapplication, which then forwards it to the second content player (e.g.,an embedded content player in the second user interface of the secondmobile application).

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 800 for providing across-application content player at a client device by a server device,according to an implementation of the disclosure. The method 400 may beperformed by processing logic that comprises hardware (e.g., circuitry,dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g.,instructions run on a processing device to perform hardware simulation),or a combination thereof. In one implementation, method 800 may beperformed by a processing device executing the server-side contentplayer component 140, as described above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and2 .

As illustrated, method 800 begins at block 810 when the processingdevice provides, to a media viewer at a client device, data for use toprovide playback of a content item. The data can include and/or be thecontent item data 290 and/or content player data 292 as described abovein connection with FIG. 2 . In one example, the data can be used togenerate a content player for playback of the content item within afirst user interface. The first user interface can be provided by afirst application running on the client device, such as an applicationprovided by a content sharing platform, a social network application,etc.

At block 820, the processing device can receive data about userinteractions with the client device. For example, the data may includeinformation about one or more user interactions corresponding to a userrequest pertaining to a second application (e.g., a user selection of alink directed to the second application and/or a user interface of thesecond application). As another example, the data may includeinformation of one or more input events corresponding to minimization,dismissal, or maximization of a content player and/or a user interfacethat provides playback of the content item. As still another example,the data may include information related to an input event initiatingsharing of the content item.

At block 830, the processing device can provide, to the media viewer,updated data for use to provide playback of the content item based onthe data about the user interactions. For example, the updated data caninclude information related to a play state corresponding to the userinteractions. As another example, the updated data can include data foruse to provide playback of the content item in a mini-player within userinterfaces of the first application. As yet another example, the updateddata can include data for use to provide playback of the content item ina second content-player within a user interface of a second application.As still another example, the updated data can include data for use toprovide playback of audio content and/or video content associated withthe content item.

At block 840, the processing device can determine whether an indicationto dismiss the playback of the content item has been received. Theindication can correspond to one or more user inputs that dismiss acontent player that provides playback of the content item.

In some implementations, the processing device can return to block 820and can receive updated data about user interactions with the clientdevice in response to determining that the indication has not beenreceived. Alternatively, the processing device can conclude process 800in response to receiving the indication.

FIG. 9 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in theexemplary form of a computer system 900 within which a set ofinstructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, may be executed. In alternativeimplementations, the machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to othermachines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. Themachine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine inclient-server network environment, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, aserver, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a singlemachine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude any collection of machines that individually or jointly executea set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein.

The exemplary computer system 900 includes a processing device(processor) 902, a main memory 904 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flashmemory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM(SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.), a static memory 906 (e.g., flashmemory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and a data storagedevice 918, which communicate with each other via a bus 908.

Processor 902 represents one or more general-purpose processing devicessuch as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like. Moreparticularly, the processor 902 may be a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing(RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor,or a processor implementing other instruction sets or processorsimplementing a combination of instruction sets. The processor 902 mayalso be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor,or the like. The processor 902 is configured to execute instructions 826for performing the operations and steps discussed herein.

The computer system 900 may further include a network interface device922. The computer system 900 also may include a video display unit 910(e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), or atouch screen), an alphanumeric input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), acursor control device 914 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generationdevice 920 (e.g., a speaker).

The data storage device 918 may include a computer-readable storagemedium 924 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions 926(e.g., software) embodying any one or more of the methodologies orfunctions described herein. The instructions 926 may also reside,completely or at least partially, within the main memory 904 and/orwithin the processor 802 during execution thereof by the computer system900, the main memory 904 and the processor 902 also constitutingcomputer-readable storage media. The instructions 926 may further betransmitted or received over a network 974 via the network interfacedevice 922.

In one embodiment, the instructions 926 include instructions for acontent player component 950, which may correspond, respectively, to themedia viewer 111 and/or the server-side content player component 140described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 , and/or a software librarycontaining methods that provide a dynamic size-adjustable content playerfor a content sharing platform. While the computer-readable storagemedium 924 is shown in an exemplary implementation to be a singlemedium, the term “computer-readable storage medium” should be taken toinclude a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that storethe one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer-readablestorage medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that iscapable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions forexecution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any oneor more of the methodologies of the present disclosure. The term“computer-readable storage medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical media, andmagnetic media.

In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth. It will beapparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure, that the present disclosure may be practicedwithout these specific details. In some instances, well-known structuresand devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, inorder to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.

Some portions of the detailed description have been presented in termsof algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desiredresult. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physicalquantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take theform of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It hasproven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, torefer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters,terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion,it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizingterms such as “receiving”, “sending”, “determining”, “enabling”,“identifying,” “providing,” “detecting,” “retrieving,” or the like,refer to the actions and processes of a computer system, or similarelectronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms datarepresented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within thecomputer system's registers and memories into other data similarlyrepresented as physical quantities within the computer system memoriesor registers or other such information storage, transmission or displaydevices.

The disclosure also relates to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may include a general purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computerreadable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of diskincluding floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-opticaldisks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs,EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable forstoring electronic instructions.

The words “example” or “exemplary” are used herein to mean serving as anexample, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design describedherein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use ofthe words “example” or “exemplary” is intended to present concepts in aconcrete fashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intendedto mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. That is, unlessspecified otherwise, or clear from context, “X includes A or B” isintended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, ifX includes A; X includes B; or X includes both A and B, then “X includesA or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition,the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appendedclaims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unlessspecified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singularform. Moreover, use of the term “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or“an implementation” or “one implementation” throughout is not intendedto mean the same embodiment or implementation unless described as such.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout thisspecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or.”

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will beapparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding theabove description. The scope of the disclosure should, therefore, bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, during playbackof a content item in a cross-application content player within a firstuser interface of a first mobile application, an indication of a userrequest pertaining to a second mobile application, wherein the firstmobile application is associated with a first platform, and the secondmobile application is associated with a second platform, wherein thefirst user interface of the first mobile application is presented on aclient device; identifying a play state of the content item at a timecorresponding to the user request; causing, by a processing device, theplayback of the content item to continue in the cross-applicationcontent player within a second user interface of the second mobileapplication based on the play state, wherein the second user interfaceof the second mobile application is presented on the client device, andwherein the cross-application content player persists on the first userinterface and the second user interface to provide the playback of thecontent item in a continuous manner; detecting an input event initiatingsharing of the content item, the input event corresponding to a userinteraction with the cross-application content player; and causing thecontent item to be shared with a second cross-application content playerin response to detecting the input event.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein detecting the input event comprises detecting a gesture to movethe cross-application content player within the second user interface.3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the content item to be sharedcomprises causing information related to the content item to be pastedin a text box in the second user interface.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the user request pertaining to the second mobile applicationcomprises a request to share the content item using the second mobileapplication.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving afirst indication to dismiss a notification interface, wherein the seconduser interface comprises the notification interface; and causing, by theprocessing device, playback of audio content associated with the contentitem in response to receiving the first indication.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, further comprising: receiving a second indication to presentthe notification interface; and causing, by the processing device,playback of the audio content and video content associated with thecontent item in response to receiving the second indication.
 7. A methodcomprising: receiving, during playback of a content item in across-application content player within a first user interface of afirst mobile application, an indication of a user request pertaining toa second mobile application, wherein the first mobile application isassociated with a first platform, and the second mobile application isassociated with a second platform; identifying a play state of thecontent item at a time corresponding to the user request; causing, by aprocessing device, the playback of the content item to continue in thecross-application content player within a second user interface of thesecond mobile application based on the play state, wherein the firstuser interface of the first mobile application and the second userinterface of the second mobile application are presented on one or moreclient devices, and wherein the cross-application content playerpersists on the first user interface and the second user interface toprovide the playback of the content item in a continuous manner;detecting an input event initiating sharing of the content item, theinput event corresponding to a user interaction with thecross-application content player; and causing the content item to beshared with cross-application content player in response to detectingthe input event.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the inputevent comprises detecting a gesture to move the cross-applicationcontent player within the second user interface.
 9. The method of claim7, wherein causing the content item to be shared comprises causinginformation related to the content item to be pasted in a text box inthe second user interface.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the userrequest pertaining to the second mobile application comprises a requestto share the content item using the second mobile application.
 11. Themethod of claim 7, further comprising: receiving a first indication todismiss a notification interface, wherein the second user interfacecomprises the notification interface; and causing, by the processingdevice, playback of audio content associated with the content item inresponse to receiving the first indication.
 12. The method of claim 11,further comprising: receiving a second indication to present thenotification interface; and causing, by the processing device, playbackof the audio content and video content associated with the content itemin response to receiving the second indication.
 13. A system comprising:a memory; and a processing device communicatively coupled to the memory,the processing device to perform operations comprising: receiving,during playback of a content item in a cross-application content playerwithin a first user interface of a first mobile application, anindication of a user request pertaining to a second mobile application,wherein the first mobile application is associated with a firstplatform, and the second mobile application is associated with a secondplatform; identifying a play state of the content item at a timecorresponding to the user request; causing the playback of the contentitem to continue in the cross-application content player within a seconduser interface of the second mobile application based on the play state,wherein the first user interface of the first mobile application and thesecond user interface of the second mobile application are presented onone or more client devices, and wherein the cross-application contentplayer persists on the first user interface and the second userinterface to provide the playback of the content item in a continuousmanner; detecting an input event initiating sharing of the content item,the input event corresponding to a user interaction with thecross-application content player; and causing the content item to beshared with cross-application content player in response to detectingthe input event.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein detecting the inputevent comprises detecting a gesture to move the cross-applicationcontent player within the second user interface.
 15. The system of claim13, wherein causing the content item to be shared comprises causinginformation related to the content item to be pasted in a text box inthe second user interface.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the userrequest pertaining to the second mobile application comprises a requestto share the content item using the second mobile application.
 17. Thesystem of claim 13, the operations further comprising: receiving a firstindication to dismiss a notification interface, wherein the second userinterface comprises the notification interface; and causing playback ofaudio content associated with the content item in response to receivingthe first indication.
 18. The system of claim 17, the operations furthercomprising: receiving a second indication to present the notificationinterface; and causing playback of the audio content and video contentassociated with the content item in response to receiving the secondindication.
 19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storinginstructions which, when executed, cause a processing device to performoperations comprising: receiving, during playback of a content item in across-application content player within a first user interface of afirst mobile application, an indication of a user request pertaining toa second mobile application, wherein the first mobile application isassociated with a first platform, and the second mobile application isassociated with a second platform; identifying a play state of thecontent item at a time corresponding to the user request; causing theplayback of the content item to continue in the cross-applicationcontent player within a second user interface of the second mobileapplication based on the play state, wherein the first user interface ofthe first mobile application and the second user interface of the secondmobile application are presented on one or more client devices, andwherein the cross-application content player persists on the first userinterface and the second user interface to provide the playback of thecontent item in a continuous manner; detecting an input event initiatingsharing of the content item, the input event corresponding to a userinteraction with the cross-application content player; and causing thecontent item to be shared with cross-application content player inresponse to detecting the input event.
 20. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein detecting the inputevent comprises detecting a gesture to move the cross-applicationcontent player within the second user interface.
 21. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein causing the contentitem to be shared comprises causing information related to the contentitem to be pasted in a text box in the second user interface.
 22. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein theuser request pertaining to the second application comprises a request toshare the content item using the second application.
 23. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, theoperations further comprising: receiving a first indication to dismiss anotification interface, wherein the second user interface comprises thenotification interface; and causing playback of audio content associatedwith the content item in response to receiving the first indication. 24.The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 23, theoperations further comprising: receiving a second indication to presentthe notification interface; and causing playback of the audio contentand video content associated with the content item in response toreceiving the second indication.